Showcase: Scholarships and Awards

Mickey Miners Award

Mickey Miners, former Curator of Performing Arts for Children at the Detroit Institute of the Arts

The IPAY board of directors is proud to announce that nominations are now being accepted for the Mickey Miners award. IPAY's highest award is presented annually, at Showcase, to a person who has made a significant impact on the field of the performing arts for young audiences.

The Mickey Miners award is given to someone who has contributed significantly over an extended period of time to the field of performing arts for youth. The awardee can be anyone involved in the field: a presenter, an agent, an artist, a producer, an administrator, a teaching artist – any person who exemplifies the energy, vision, experience, and wisdom that are the hallmarks of those who deeply care about positively impacting the lives of young people with live performances that entertain and enlighten.

Your nomination should include a resume or CV, as well as a written statement from the nominator as to why you feel this person deserves the award. Contact information – phone number and email address – for both nominator and nominee, should also be included.

Please send your nominations to IPAY (info@ipayweb.org) with all of the above information by December 1st. If you have questions, please contact Susan Crofton, IPAY General Manager, at susan@ipayweb.org or at 267-690-1325.

Victor Award

Victor Podagrosi, Child's Play Touring Theatre Founding Director

The People's Choice Victor Award was established in the late 1990s as a way of recognizing
excellence in performing arts for young people. In the early years, the award was voted
on by Showcase technicians and was a sort of 'congeniality prize.' For the last four years,
the award has been a 'people's choice' of favorite performances from the Showcase.

The Victor Award was originated to perpetuate the memory of Victor Podagrosi, founding
director of Child's Play Touring Theatre of Chicago and ALWAYS an audience favorite. Victor
died of a heart attack in September 1995 during a company board meeting. He was 41. Past
winners of the audience choice Victor Award include:

2017--Slingsby Theatre for their production of The Young King by Oscar Wilde--Australia

2016— Arch 8/Erik Kaiel for their production of Tetris — The Netherlands

2015— Macrobert Art Center for their production of Titus — Scotland

2014— Theatergroep Kwatta for their production of Manxmouse—Netherlands

2013—Patch Theatre Company for their production of Me and My Shadow—Australia

2012—Susanna Hamnett for her production of Nearly Lear—Canada

2011—Windmill Theatre for their production of Grug—Adelaide, SA Australia

2010—Visible Fictions for their production of Shopping for Shoes—Glasgow, UK

2009—Puppet State Theatre Company for their production of The Man Who Planted Trees—Cleveland, OH

2008—Speeltheatre Holland for their production of Pero or Mysteries of the
Night—Tampa, FL

2007—Huis aan de Amstel for their production of Wolf—Cleveland, OH

2006—Det lille Turnéteater for their production of Hamlet—Philadelphia,
PA

2005—LaJoye Productions for Snowflake—Cleveland, OH

Performances selected by the Showcase Selection process are placed on ballots made available
to all Showcase attendees. Attendees will find ballots for each day's performances in their
packets they receive at registration. Their rankings are averaged during the final Showcase
party and the award runner-ups and winner are announced. The actual Award is a trophy made
by the same company that creates the Oscars each year.

Jim Rye Fellowship

The International Performing Arts for Youth's Jim Rye Fellowship offers an outstanding opportunity for graduate students in the fields of TYA directing, management, curating, and education to be involved with the inner workings of a major performing arts for young audiences conference. After a competitive application and review process, Jim Rye fellows are provided with a yearlong membership in IPAY as well as Showcase conference registration where they will be part of various workshops and panel conversations of the Kindling Program together with the Porter Residency Fellows, as well as a modest $250 stipend (for those students not located in the host city) to help toward travel expenses. In addition, mentors with experience in the student's field of interest help the scholar navigate the conference and facilitate the student's introduction to other professionals in the field, allowing them important networking opportunities. In addition, IPAY will endeavor to foster a stronger link between the Rye fellow and their educational institutions with the local IPAY member organizations. IPAY feels it’s paramount, and is excited, to support the development of stronger relationships with the Rye Fellows, their respective educational institutions and IPAY members and their respective organizations as we all work toward building the field of performing arts for young audiences.

2016 Rye Fellows at Showcase in Montreal, Canada

In return, the fellows provide valuable input for the IPAY organization and TYA field at large through various research and mapping projects that contribute to more insightful information of the TYA field in North America. These relationships will be developed on an individual basis. Fellows may also be asked to assist the conference organizers, helping the conference run smoothly by providing help as needed, taking on projects such as assisting with registration, serving as liaison with artists, conducting audience surveys, working the IPAY booth and serving as reporters or recorders for educational sessions and discussions.

The late Jim Rye was the Artistic Director of the Birmingham Children's Theatre. Jim served on the Showcase Committee for many years, his company performed and exhibited, and he served as a mentor for many up and coming professionals in the field. We honor him by supporting the up and comers in today's ever expanding field of performing arts for young people.

2014 Fellow Kelly Prescott from Emerson College in Boston, MA says about her experience as a Jim Rye Fellow:

“IPAY’s Showcase was a magical experience! I’ve never had such thoughtful and inspiring conversations with fellow graduate students and professionals and practitioners in the field. It has really opened my eyes to what we produce for young audiences and it is stretching the boundaries of what the art can be.”

The Colleen Porter Artist Development Award

Entering its fifth year, IPAY is proud to continue to support development of Artists in the field of performing arts for young audiences with a facilitated residency opportunity in honor of Colleen Porter. This juried award supports artistic development and is linked to the annual Kindling focus at IPAY Showcase.

The experience is a year-long residency between IPAY Showcase 2018 and Showcase 2019. The selected artist will work with veteran international arts professional, Tony Reekie (Scotland) who will assist in facilitating the Showcase experience with the Porter resident and intersecting with the artists and presenters each day, to discuss how the experience may be relevant to their own practice, to share ideas, to facilitate development and to help establish connections. Part of the intent with the framework is that there will be discussion and support that exists beyond Showcase that may develop into a longer-term support network for artists.

IPAY will support the cost of Showcase registration and provide travel support and accommodation for Showcase 2018 and Showcase 2019. Interested artists, who have been in the field for at least 3 years; can demonstrate a need for financial assistance; are able to attend the full IPAY Showcase Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, January 23-27, 2018 should submit their proposal by November 17, 2017.

Through this distinguished honor, Colleen's innovative, generous, and nurturing spirit will live on in the artists of the future.

Applications for Showcase 2018 are currently closed. However, if you would like to apply to Sponsor a Spotlight performance please click here. There are two 20 minute sponsorship slots available. Applications are due September 28 and will be selected by lottery.

Membership

Our membership comprises a worldwide network of artists, producers, presenters, agents, educators, and students. Our mission is to create opportunities for key stakeholders to engage around support of performing arts experiences for young audiences. Click here to learn more.